Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
A Qualitative Study of the Communicative Acts Involved in the Coming Out Process of Male Homosexuals
Availability
Open Access Thesis
Keywords
Gay men--Iowa--Interviews; Gay men; Gay men--Family relationships; Iowa; Interviews;
Abstract
The intent with this qualitative study was to explore the communicative acts involved in the coming out process of male homosexuals. The participants in this study were 10, male, selfidentified homosexuals living in Black Hawk County, Iowa. The participants ranged in age from 21 to 40, and also differed in how long they had been involved in the coming out process. The participants were selected through personal encounters or referral by other individuals. Two research questions were posed. The first question posed was, "What communication is involved in the coming out process of male homosexuals?" The second question posed was, "What does this communication reveal about the coming out process of male homosexuals?" To answer these questions, first, field research was conducted to provide a background understanding of the local homosexual culture. Second, in-depth personal interviews were conducted. The interviews were transcribed and the transcriptions were analyzed to identify the communication involved in the coming out process of male homosexuals. Interpretive Interactionism as described by Norman K. Denzin was utilized in the analysis of the transcriptions. The results indicate that the coming out process involves both intrapersonal and interpersonal communication. On an intrapersonal communication level, accepting a homosexual identity is the culmination of years of introspection. Interpersonally, it involves the consideration of what bearing this knowledge will have on any give relationship. The most significant revelation rendered by the data collected concerning the communicative acts involved in the coming out process of male homosexuals is that the term "coming out" is erroneously cognized. Coming out is used to refer to just about any act that acknowledges an individual's homosexuality. But that single term does not provide for differentiation among components of the coming out process. This distillation of a multifaceted process into a single concept is an indication of society's reluctance to understand the development of a homosexuality identity. The summary chapter also includes a discussion of implications for future research and pragmatic recommendations for homosexuals and the individuals to whom homosexuals come out.
Year of Submission
1992
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Department of Communication Studies
First Advisor
Victoria Defrancisco
Second Advisor
Melissa Beall
Third Advisor
Joel Wells
Date Original
1992
Object Description
1 PDF file (101 leaves)
Copyright
©1992 Heidi Lynn Hinds
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Hinds, Heidi Lynn, "A Qualitative Study of the Communicative Acts Involved in the Coming Out Process of Male Homosexuals" (1992). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 2974.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/2974
Comments
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